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Australian tennis bad boy Brydan Klein will undergo a racial sensitivity course after accepting a six-month ban from the ATP for a racial slur.
Klein, a former junior Australian Open champion, was slapped with the hefty suspension and fined $US10,000 for calling South African Raven Klaasen a “f…ing kaffir” during a qualifying match in England on June 13.
The 19-year-old West Australian has been suspended from the ATP World Tour and Challenger events for six months, although two months of that will be served in probation should he successfully complete the racial sensitivity course.
Klein’s suspension only begins on July 20, leaving him free to contest an ATP Challenger Tour event in Manchester next week.
“I sincerely regret my error in judgment in using the language I did and I am deeply sorry for the offence caused,” Klein said in a statement.
“I am accepting of the ATP’s ruling and am now looking to put the whole incident behind me.
“I will undergo a racial sensitivity course and am determined to learn from this mistake.
“I plan to do everything I can to grow as a person and later as a tennis player by improving myself both off and on the court over the next four months.
“My aim is now to return to tournament play at the end of 2009 and focus on a strong Australian summer on the court.”
It is not the first time Klein has found himself in trouble.
The hot-headed teenager, who notched his Davis Cup debut in March, was previously suspended from the Australian Institute of Sport after repeated on-court misbehaviour.
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